Summer Vacation
by FaerieMagik
Summary: PLEASE READ THE A/N AFTER CHAPTER 4!! ~~ Secrets, unexpected events, original characters....Specially written for Harry Potter fans who live in or have been to California. Yay!! Please R&R! =^.^=
1. Default Chapter

AUTHOR'S NOTE: There will be several chapters in this story, each one narrated by one of the characters. They'll each have approximately two chapters each. The only characters that are unique in my story are the American witches and most of the people in California. All others belong to J.K. Rowling. Okay, I'm finished now. Read on! (And if you like, Review!)  
  
Chapter One  
  
Harry  
  
So. My fifth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was over. All my friends and I boarded the Hogwarts Express for the ride back to King's Cross Station, where we would be welcomed home by our families.  
  
Well, almost everyone. I'd be lying if I told you that I returned to a happy reunion. My Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon are never pleased with me. I don't let that bother me too much, though. I'm never pleased with them, either. How could I? Especially since they're always gushing about my cousin Dudley. I swear to you, there was never anyone more disgusting than him. His blonde hair is always matted, he gets horrible marks in school, he's a spoiled brat, and must weigh at least 400 pounds. Sometimes I wonder how I could be related to the Dursleys.  
  
Not that I'm blessed when it comes to looks or anything. I'm short and skinny and my black hair is never neat despite what I do to it. I have to put up with a thick wad of tape around the center of my glasses because Dudley punched me. Oh, well. At least I know I've got the edge when it comes to personality.  
  
And now I was faced with two whole months of putting up with the Dursleys. I had a feeling I was really going to miss my past year at Hogwarts more than ever, especially because of all that happened.  
  
First, Hogwarts got six new transfer students – all American witches. Five were fifteen (now sixteen), which meant that they were in the same year as my friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and I. Their names are Brittny, Lori, Denise, Carolyn, and Brittany. At first my friends and I thought they were all psycho or something, but they turned out to be pretty cool (although they still scare me sometimes). The sixth girl is Brittany's little sister, Elizabeth. I'd like her a lot more if she didn't have a humongous crush on me (especially since she is not afraid to announce it to the world). I think all six of them are going to end up as Hogwarts Legends.  
  
Besides all the crazy little things they did throughout the school year, they also through a huge party on December 31 to celebrate New Year's Day. It took place in the giant backyard of Mrs. Kingston, who is their guardian while they're here in England. The whole school was invited…and everyone showed up. They spread around this ridiculous Muggle tradition that says you have to kiss someone at midnight on New Year's Eve or you'll have bad luck for the rest of the year. (They're all Muggle-born.) You would not believe who had to kiss who. The party lasted until 2 o'clock in the morning.  
  
Brittny made the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. She's now our official keeper. I'm the seeker (and proud of it). Brittny is a very, very good Quidditch player – maybe even better than Oliver Wood, our original keeper. I'm not exaggerating.  
  
We were all sorry to say good-bye at the end of the year. We had all become good friends over the year. Everyone promised to write and get together sometime, and my new friends promised to call often (although I wasn't sure if Vernon would let me speak on the telephone). And so we all went our separate ways.  
  
A week went by. I received exactly one letter from all of my friends (including Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts) and I had written back. I was pretty sure that this was how my summer was going to pass; writing letters back and forth, maybe getting together once, and waiting anxiously for the school year to start again.  
  
I was wrong. I was so very, very wrong.  
  
It all started on Saturday of the next week. I remember it was June 13. I was lying on my bed rereading the letters I had received and praying that I wouldn't be called down to do more chores. I had already mowed the lawn, weeded the garden, washed the floors, polished the silverware, washed the car, cooked lunch, and cleaned out the broom closet. It was about 6:45 p.m. Tomorrow I was going to have to clean out the garage. I was not looking forward to it.  
  
Suddenly, I heard a tapping noise on my window. I looked up and saw Brittany's great gray owl, Merciful Heavens. Her name is Merciful Heavens, Mercy for short, because that's what her mother said when she brought her home from the wizard pet shop three years ago.  
  
I opened the window and Mercy flew in and dropped a piece of parchment on top of my schoolbooks. It was rolled and tied with a pink ribbon, which was a definite sign that it was from Brittany because she absolutely loves the color pink. I untied it and the parchment unrolled neatly. I read:  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
My friends and I have had the most brilliant idea ever. We've come up with a summer plan to end all summer plans: What do you think about spending two weeks in California, our old home?  
  
If she had been standing there, I would have immediately said yes; but since I couldn't, I decided to finish the letter.  
  
I know, I know; you don't think your Aunt and Uncle will let you. We'll convince them. The Weasleys are letting Ron come, so we'll have them on our side. Hermione's coming, too. Everything's all ready set up with our families back in California. We have it all planned out, and it won't be very expensive, either!  
  
Oh my gosh, we're all going to have SO MUCH FUN! We're all meeting at Ron's house tonight to talk about it. Wait by your window at 10 o'clock tonight. One of us will swing by and pick you up. See you soon!  
  
Your Friend,  
  
Brittany  
  
Meeting at Ron's house tonight? Going to California for two weeks with all of my friends? I couldn't wait!  
  
I began to mentally plan things out. What would I take with me? My owl Hedwig, that's for sure. I couldn't just abandon her. Clothes, definitely. Did I even have enough clothes? Most of my clothes were old hand-me-downs from Uncle Vernon and Dudley. What about my wand? Would I need it? And what about my broomstick?  
  
Where would I want to go? I didn't know anything about California. I had some serious decisions to make.  
  
Oh, well. I had a feeling that it would definitely be worth it. 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
Hermione  
  
Where was everybody? I had arrived at the Weasleys' on time, and I was the only one there. The clock ticked and showed the time – 10:45. They were all late. Ron and I were perched outside on the lawn, gazing up at the sky for any sign of flying broomsticks. So far we'd seen five birds, two shooting stars, and a bat. That was it.  
  
I sighed. "You'd think they'd be able to show up on time for once, especially since this whole thing was their idea," I said. Sorry to complain, but it always seemed like they were at least ten minutes late for everything. I secretly wondered if all Americans were tardy to their own meetings.  
  
"It's a small price to pay for the trip," said Ron. "Can you imagine? We'll be in an entirely different country, free to do whatever we want…."  
  
"Not exactly," I said. "We still won't be allowed to use magic, and just because America is foreign doesn't mean that rules don't apply to you."  
  
"Aw, Hermione, you're spoiling all the fun."  
  
"I am not. I'm being realistic."  
  
"Well then stop being realistic!"  
  
"Fine. But they're in for a lecture on punctuality. If they ever get here, that is," I added.  
  
What seemed like hours but was probably only a few minutes passed before I saw five broomsticks circling overhead. Soon they began to float towards the ground. The riders dismounted and headed towards us, all looking very excited.  
  
Ron and I stood up, and I crossed my arms. "Where have you all been? You're fifteen minutes late to your own meeting. What do you have to say for yourselves?"  
  
"Sorry," said Lori sheepishly, since she is never afraid to speak up.  
  
"What kept you?" I pressed.  
  
"Beauty called," answered Brittny. "We have to make sure we look decent before we go on an outing, don't we?"  
  
"Don't look at me; I was ready on time," said Denise. "I just didn't want to leave anyone behind."  
  
I could believe that. Denise and I are best friends, in part because we have so much in common. Being ready on time is one of them.  
  
"Oh come off it, Denise," said Brittany. "You were just as delayed as the rest of us. You couldn't put down Left Behind. Just had to finish that chapter, didn't you?"  
  
"What are you talking about? I was only reading to pass time while the rest of you were still getting ready!"  
  
As they continued to argue over who delayed whom, I thought about what Brittny meant by "beauty called." Beauty? Ha! Not that they're ugly or anything like that, but they did not look like they had spent an extra fifteen minutes on grooming. Brittny was wearing pajama pants. Lori was wearing shorts and rainbow socks up to her knees (she looked like Dobby, the house elf). Elizabeth's entire outfit was wrinkled. Brittany's hair was a mess. Denise's left cheek was wrinkled and red, probably because she slept on bunched sheets. And Carolyn…wait, where was Carolyn?  
  
Ron noticed that she was missing, too. "Hey you guys, what happened to Carolyn?" he asked.  
  
"She went to pick up Harry," answered Lori.  
  
"Just now?" I asked. Lori nodded. I sighed for the second time last night. I was sure this meant another ten-minute delay.  
  
It did. Words could not express the relief I felt when I finally saw Carolyn and Harry coming in to land. I would have repeated my lecture on punctuality, but by that time it was already 11:10 and I was beginning to get sleepy.  
  
"All right, is everybody here?" asked Ron. He was answered with a grand chorus of "Yes."  
  
"Good. Now let's get inside and plan this whole American vacation!"  
  
Mentioning the trip seemed to wake everybody up, and we all marched into the Weasley home with our heads held high. Ron led us to a living room that had paint peeling off the walls and shabby furniture. The Weasleys don't have much money to spend on keeping their house fresh what with all the children they have to support, but none of us care. We all love the Burrow, as their house is called. Sure it's kind of old and falling apart, but it's cozy.  
  
"Ginny! Is Ginny still awake?" asked Elizabeth.  
  
"Yeah, she's upstairs in her room," answered Ron. Elizabeth darted upstairs to find her. She and Ginny are best friends.  
  
Meanwhile, the rest of us settled down onto chairs, a couch, and the floor. I, prepared as always, pulled out a notebook and quill and ink from my pocket and flipped open to the first page. I was taking it upon myself to write everything down.  
  
"Okay. Let's run a double check," said Carolyn. "Are we all absolutely sure that everything's set up?"  
  
"Oh yes," answered Brittany. "We'll be flying in on an airplane from London to New York on Friday. We'll have to layover and get on another flight to California. We get there, we meet our parents, and then we have two whole weeks of fun ahead of us."  
  
"Fly on an airplane?" asked Ginny, who had just come downstairs with Elizabeth. "Can't we just Apparate or take a Port Key or something?"  
  
"No," I said. "We can't Apparate because we're still underage. And we can't take a Port Key because there isn't one listed that will take us from here to America."  
  
Everyone began nodding and voicing their approval. I thought so, at least. I was looking around the room and noticed that Lori was sitting silently, with a forlorn look on her face and her brow creased. I was planning to take her aside and ask her what was wrong when Brittny announced, "Wait guys! I don't think Lori likes this plan!" (Thank you, Brittny.)  
  
"Well, yeah. No. Sort of," said Lori uncertainly. "I mean, it's a nice plan and everything…."  
  
"But?" Denise supplied.  
  
"Well…." Lori sucked in her breath. "It's just that my parents and some of my friends still live in Arizona. I haven't seen them for, like, a year. I was just thinking that since Arizona is so close to California, couldn't we just fly from New York to Arizona, and then take another flight to LA?"  
  
Everyone was silent for a moment. No one had considered this option before.  
  
Brittany broke the silence a little while later. "Yeah, that'll work! That might even be better!"  
  
"What will be better?" asked Harry.  
  
"We can do was Lori said and fly from New York to Arizona. But because it really is close to California, we could just rent an RV and drive there! It'll be like a miniature road trip!"  
  
More words of approval were exchanged. There was a deep hum of voices throughout the room, silenced only by two people who weren't there before.  
  
"Road trip? What's all this about a road trip?" said a voice.  
  
I looked up. It was Fred and George Weasley, Ron's two older brothers. George was the one who made the comment. We all turned to look at Brittany in unison, whose eyes had narrowed. You see, she has this thing with George. She doesn't have a crush on him. She loathes him, and I can see why. George had pulled an awful prank at the beginning of last year. Who was the target? Brittany. To make a long story short, let's just say that Harry almost ended up with another scar on his head.  
  
And since then, Brittany has been the target of the majority of George's pranks. It's never Fred, only George. He likes to see her get annoyed because….Well, I don't know why. Go ask him yourself.  
  
Okay, let's return to the story.  
  
"It's nothing that concerns you," said Brittany.  
  
"I know what you're talking about," said Fred. "It's that little vacation you're all planning to take, right?"  
  
"Yup," said Elizabeth. Then she explained the entire plan to them.  
  
"Okay, I see how it works now," said Fred.  
  
"Sounds like fun," said George.  
  
"Oh no you don't," said Brittany. "You are not weaseling your way into this vacation."  
  
"Aw come on. It'll be fun," said George. He grinned. "You know you'll miss me!"  
  
"Miss you? Are you crazy? This is one of the few chances I have to get away from you!" said Brittany.  
  
"We can't exactly say no," said Carolyn. "They can come along. We will just keep you two away from each other. It'll be fine."  
  
Brittany looked stressed. George looked smug. He and Fred were going to be able to come after all.  
  
"All right then," said Denise. "The following people will be coming on this trip: Carolyn, Brittany, Lori, Hermione, Harry, Brittny, Ron, Ginny, Elizabeth, me, and now Fred and George. That's twelve people." She looked around the room and nodded. "We are definitely going to need more than one RV."  
  
Since the number had increased to twelve and we were all bound to run into confusion at some point, we made a plan. We'd spend a day doing whatever we wanted in Arizona. We'd drive to California the next day. Each of us would pick exactly one thing we wanted to see, and we'd make it a point to see it. If two or more of us wanted to see the same thing, then that counts as one choice for each of us. Then at the end of the two weeks, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, and I would fly back to London and the rest of us would stay in America. It was all set.  
  
Now all we had to do is make a list of the things we wanted to see. Since I still had the notebook, quill, and ink (remember?), I was in charge of writing it down.  
  
First we had a quick lesson on some of the attractions in California in order to benefit those of us who didn't know a thing about the state. Then I went around the room and asked what everyone wanted to see.  
  
By the time I had asked everyone, the list looked like this:  
  
Lori – Hollywood  
  
Brittany – Disneyland  
  
Carolyn – San Diego Zoo  
  
Brittny – Venice Beach  
  
Denise – Horse Ranch (anywhere)  
  
Hermione – Jilmara Street  
  
Harry & Ron – Knott's Berry Farm  
  
Ginny & Elizabeth – Third Street Promenade  
  
Fred & George – Disney's California Adventure  
  
As it turns out, Disneyland was having a special: buy a three-day package and one person gets in free. We'd get to hang around the theme parks and Downtown Disney for three days and stay at the local hotel for two nights.  
  
Then the meeting was over. By that time it was 1:03 in the morning!  
  
You know what? Nobody felt very sleepy. We were all too wired and excited about getting to go to America. Brittany had to call on her cell phone and tell her mom about the change of plans. Luckily, everything was all right. Everybody was so, so happy until….  
  
"Wait a second," said Ron. "Are we going to have to pay our own way?"  
  
"I hate to sound mean, but yes," said Carolyn.  
  
Ron, Ginny, Fred and George's smiles disappeared and they all started glancing at each other anxiously. We all knew what they were thinking: How were they ever going to afford two weeks in a foreign country?  
  
"Don't freak out you guys," said Denise. "Wizard money is worth a lot of Muggle money. You'll have enough."  
  
"And besides, we'll still be able to get discounts on nearly everything anyway," added Lori.  
  
"What? Why? How?" asked Harry, confused.  
  
Lori, Brittny, Denise, Carolyn, Brittany and Elizabeth were all eyeing each other and grinning. The rest of us had no idea what they were talking about.  
  
"How will we get a discount?" I asked. I really didn't understand how we could, or even why we would.  
  
"Oh, you'll see," answered Lori with a sly grin.  
  
I wondered what she meant. 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Two  
  
Carolyn  
  
I woke up at 3:30 a.m. on Friday morning. I could have slept an extra thirty minutes because we were all supposed to wake up at 4:00. But excitement and adrenaline woke me up, and I knew I would never go back to sleep now.  
  
I walked over to the study. I figured I'd be the only one awake, and I thought I could pass the time by reading a good book.  
  
When I walked into the study, however, I found everyone lounging in there. Geez, I thought. How long have they been awake?  
  
"Hey Care," said Denise, who looked as if she were experiencing a sugar rush. (Care's my nickname.) "We were all too excited to stay asleep any longer. WE'RE GOING HOME!" she screeched.  
  
The rest of us started screaming and yelling, too, until we were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Brittny went bouncing over and opened it, only to find Mrs. Kingston all dressed and ready to go. "Now, girls, I know you're excited about going back to the United States." (That got us all shouting again.) "However," she said, loud enough to be heard over us, "if you expect to make your flight at 10:45 today, you'd better start getting ready."  
  
We all quickly darted into our rooms, loudly slamming the doors behind us. Yesterday we had all decided that we were going to take our time and look our best since we were going to be out in public with a lot of people.  
  
So much for that idea.  
  
I'm telling you, it was almost like a race to see who could get ready in the shortest amount of time. I slipped into a pair of denim shorts, a turquoise tank top, and my running shoes all in record time. I brushed my hair in three seconds. I barely managed to slap on a little lip gloss before running out the door.  
  
When we were finally satisfied with our efforts (which took about five minutes), we all stood in a circle chatting excitedly until we realized one minor problem.  
  
After all the talking, the planning, the phone calling, and the anticipation….Every single one of us had forgotten to pack.  
  
We had been living at Mrs. Kingston's for a very long period of time, and in that time, we had forgotten to keep everything organized. We had prized belongings of ours in every room. We even had stuff in each other's rooms!  
  
Everyone began to panic.  
  
We all went in a mad rush around the floor, trying desperately to get everything in order and then shovel it all into our trunks (yes, the same ones we used at Hogwarts). And that's when it happened. We immediately became the Six Sisters of Doom: Shock, Bossy, Denial, Weepy, Mournful, and Klutz.  
  
Denise was Bossy. She had somehow gotten it into her head that she knew the most about what to do in a situation like this. If someone had taken a picture of this whole scenario, she would be the one in the middle of the corridor, barking out orders to everyone who came by.  
  
Brittny was Denial. She quickly finished stuffing everything into her trunk and had over-packed again. She was sitting on her trunk, trying to snap it shut.  
  
"Brittny, just admit it," I said when I passed by her room. "You have too much stuff."  
  
"No I don't!" she protested. "It's just that this stupid trunk won't give up and shut itself!" (Pitiful.)  
  
Elizabeth was Weepy. She had brought her big white cockatoo named Sunny with her from California. Mrs. Kingston had volunteered to take care of all of the pets while we were gone, but Elizabeth did not want to leave Sunny behind.  
  
Brittany was Mournful. She was sitting on her freshly-packed trunk, moaning over the fact that Fred and George were coming with us. (Well, not Fred.) She was doing this in a very depressing sort of way.  
  
Lori was Klutz. She was definitely the slowest at getting her trunk packed. Somehow, as she was scurrying around to get her stuff, she managed to run into a wall.  
  
I was Shock. I couldn't be more stunned that we had let this happen again. It reminded me of the day we were supposed to be leaving for Hogwarts. We thought we were going to miss the Hogwarts Express, but in fact…we were fifteen minutes early!  
  
It took us another hour to get everything ready. By the time we were finished, it was 4:55 a.m.  
  
At one point, I noticed that Lori had a camera hanging from a cord around her neck.  
  
"What are you going to do with that?" I asked.  
  
"Take pictures, what else?" said Lori. "This is a great opportunity. I'm going to take loads and loads of pictures, and then I'll organize them in a scrapbook. I'll have lots of group shots, individual shots, candid shots…"  
  
"Oh no," I groaned.  
  
"Oh yes," said Lori, and just for that, she snapped my picture right then and there.  
  
"Are we ready?" asked Denise (a.k.a. Bossy).  
  
"Yes!" we all replied.  
  
"Good! Let's get downstairs to the courtyard."  
  
We all rushed downstairs and out the door. Mrs. Kingston was waiting for us on a bench in the courtyard. Then we all piled into her car. Our plan was to pick up Hermione and Harry, and then all of us would be dropped off at the Burrow. Mr. Weasley had volunteered to drive us maniacs to the London International Airport and keep an eye on all of us until we boarded the plane.  
  
Mrs. Kingston used her mobiliarbus spell to hoist our trunks into her car. Then we were finally on our way!  
  
First stop was Hermione's house, which is about a half hour away from Mrs. Kingston's. We drove until we reached a quaint two-story house with white walls and hunter green shutters with a matching roof and door. We had barely parked in the driveway when Hermione came bounding out of the house, followed by her parents. (Her mother looks just like her!)  
  
Click! Lori took a picture of Hermione and her parents.  
  
After Mr. and Mrs. Granger finished giving Hermione the third degree about where we were going and where we were staying, we drove to Harry's house. (Although I'm not sure if you can really call it his house. He's considered more of a household insect than a person.)  
  
That was another half hour drive from the Granger's. We saw Harry with his face pressed against one of the front-door windows as we pulled up. He came running out the door a few seconds later. His uncle and aunt didn't even bother to come out to see him off. I mean, the only reason why he's allowed to come is because we convinced his uncle and aunt that two weeks without him would be pleasant. (I know it sounds horrible, but that's really the only way they'll agree.) They didn't even bother to make sure that we had come for him at all, the scum.  
  
Click! A picture of Harry.  
  
By the time Harry joined our party, Mrs. Kingston had to expand the trunk of the car and the backseat. Even then, we were still pretty squished.  
  
Click! Lori got out of the car and snapped a picture of all of us squished in the backseat.  
  
On to the Burrow. It took us an hour and a half to get there. When we did, we found Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley waiting for us on the lawn in front of their house. Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George were all standing by a pile of trunks.  
  
Mrs. Kingston barely had time to put the car in "Park" when Harry and Brittny opened the doors and we all bounced out of the car. We all ran to the Weasleys, all of us trying very hard to keep our excitement under control. (Click! A picture of the Weasleys.) Then we all started jabbering at once.  
  
"Hey Ron, I forgot to ask," Harry put in at one point. "How are we going to drive to the airport, exactly? Your dad didn't get a new car, did he?"  
  
"Nope. He's borrowing a car from the Ministry of Magic," answered Ron. "He says that even if we still had the Ford Anglia, he doesn't think there's enough magic in the world to make us all fit."  
  
"Where is it?" asked Denise.  
  
"Over there." Ron pointed to the left.  
  
We all turned around and we gasped. That black thing was not a car, it was a limousine. It was super shiny and slick. In other words, it was the coolest thing I've ever seen.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed. "Your dad got that for free, just because he works there?"  
  
Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George all nodded and beamed proudly.  
  
Click! A picture of the car.  
  
"All right everyone," said Mr. Weasley from afar. "It's already 7:45. We need to leave."  
  
"7:45? Already?" said Denise, looking down at her watch.  
  
"Yes. And it's going to take us another hour to get there," said Mr. Weasley.  
  
We all groaned. Another hour riding in a car. (Oops. I mean a limousine.) Oh well, at least we'd have more company.  
  
So that's what we did. We all clambered into the limo (with Brittany and George sitting as far away from each other as possible). And we resumed our particularly loud chatter. Mr. Weasley climbed into the driver's seat.  
  
"Hey Dad," said Fred at one point. "Don't we get a chauffer?"  
  
Mr. Weasley gave Fred a look that clearly said, Don't act spoiled.  
  
"Well sorry," said Fred. "It's a limousine. I just thought that a chauffer comes with it. Like built-in or something."  
  
"Hey, Mr. Weasley? Sir?" asked Brittany. "Does this limo have a CD player?"  
  
"I suppose so. It is a Muggle car, it's just enchanted," he answered. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Because I have a CD here that I think we'll all enjoy," said Brittany.  
  
"Why, sure! Hand it over," said Mr. Weasley, extending his hand toward the backseat. Brittany gave him a CD. It was "Laundry Service," by Shakira.  
  
"Oh my God, no way," said George. "We are not listening to that."  
  
"And why not?" asked Brittany defensively. "You've never even heard it before."  
  
"Yeah, but you like it, so it must be horrible," said George.  
  
That time everybody turned around to glare.  
  
"Geez, people! Back off!" said George, trying to shoo us all away. Mr. Weasley had been giving him the evil eye through the rear-view mirror. When he turned his eyes back on the road, Brittany turned around and stuck out her tongue.  
  
"Dad!" cried George. "Brittany just did something rude!"  
  
"Settle down, George," said Mr. Weasley. He looked menacingly at George through the rear-view mirror again.  
  
"What? I didn't do anything!" George protested.  
  
"Oh my God! You are such a baby," said Brittany.  
  
"I wouldn't talk if I were you, you nasty little worm."  
  
"GEORGE!" yelled Mr. Weasley.  
  
"You don't have anything to say about it, you disgusting little maggot!" Brittany yelled at George.  
  
"Stop it, you guys!" Lori cried before Mr. Weasley could say anything else. "Can't we all just get along?"  
  
"NO," said Brittany and George in unison.  
  
"Dad," said Ron, "could we just put on the…um…what's it called? An EB?"  
  
"CD," Denise corrected.  
  
"Yeah. The CD," said Ron.  
  
"What? Oh, right, the CD." Mr. Weasley slipped the CD into the car stereo. "Oh, this is so exciting!" said Mr. Weasley, the die-hard Muggle fan.  
  
Loud Latino music came blaring out of the speakers. Everyone was silent at first, just listening. Then we began chattering again. The talking grew louder and louder until we finally had to turn the volume up in order for the CD to be heard.  
  
Can you imagine? Twelve loud, yakking, and occasionally singing teenagers. If any other adult had been driving the limousine, I would have felt very, very, very sorry for them.  
  
But not Mr. Weasley. Oh no. He was actually trying to sing along with the Shakira CD – and he was actually pretty good! Sometimes we'd join in and sing ourselves silly. It was hysterical, particularly when we came to a song that was sung all in Spanish. All thirteen of us sounded like a herd of very sick moose. (Well, except Brittany, because it was her CD and she practically memorized the whole thing. But that didn't stop her from getting thrown-off when she heard the rest of us.)  
  
Click! A picture of us singing.  
  
Click! A picture of Mr. Weasley singing.  
  
You know, at times I think my friends and I are just crazy. The stuff we come up with (and actually go through with) are so completely mind- boggling, it's enough to drive anyone bonkers. Think about it: two little sisters, two arch-enemies, seven giggling girls, four redheads, and a guy who's had an incredibly bad history with Lord Voldemort. D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R, right? Not if we planned and played our cards right. We could get through this in one piece.  
  
How hard could it be? 


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
Brittny  
  
'How hard could it be?' I can't believe Care actually said that. I'm going to tell the truth here: Our trip was not very easy at all. I mean, just flying into the U.S. was pretty traumatizing. (There's your first clue.)  
  
Where did Care leave off? Oh yeah – we were all singing. And we were talking. We made a ton of noise all the way to the airport. We were all in pretty good spirits until it came time to park. Why?  
  
We got lost.  
  
Mr. Weasley had absolutely no idea where he was going, and neither did the rest of us. We must have circled around the entire airport, like, six times. Did we ever think of stopping and asking someone? Of course not. That would be the intelligent thing to do. We were all becoming really frustrated, which pretty much blocked our ability to think straight. So we just circled, and circled, and circled. (Click! A picture of us driving pointlessly around the airport.)  
  
By the time we found a parking space we were running really, really late. Our flight was going to take-off in an hour and we still had to check in, check our bags, and go through security checkpoints.  
  
Thank God for luggage carts. Without them, I seriously think we would have missed the plane. We each rented one and loaded our trunks onto them. Then we hurried off to the Check-In stations.  
  
We were so late that there was almost nobody waiting in our line. We grabbed our boarding passes and gave our trunks to the Sky Cab (who almost fell over when he tried to lift all of them). All we had to do now was get past security and we'd be home free!  
  
Unfortunately, the lines for the security checkpoints were super long. There was no cutting-corners this time, however. All we could do is stand in line, wait, and hope that we didn't miss our plane.  
  
We were three-fourths of the way through the line when we heard a beep come over the loud-speaker. "Flight 6052 from London to New York City is now boarding. Repeat: Flight 6052 from London to New York City is now boarding."  
  
"That's our flight!" I shrieked. "We're going to miss it! Quick, somebody fake a heart attack!"  
  
"A heart attack?" said Hermione. "What good will that do? They'll just send over the paramedics."  
  
"Yes, but at least we'll have an excuse to cut in front of this line!" I wailed.  
  
"Now, now, Brittny, calm down. Everything will be fine," said Mr. Weasley, though from the expression on his face it was clear that he wasn't sure it was going to be fine at all.  
  
Lori, who had nothing better to do, snapped a picture of all of us. I was so tense I felt like strangling her. (I saw the picture later, and believe me; I have never seen a more anxious-looking group of people in my entire life.)  
  
We finally made it to the head of the line and got past security (which was a real miracle, since the security has been tightened since September 11). I managed to find a clock in one of the little restaurants. We had exactly twenty minutes to get to our gate. There was only one thing to do: Run.  
  
Normally, I absolutely hate running. I especially hated running in gym class when I used to attend a Muggle school. I had no idea that all of that running would prepare me for the race of a lifetime; my friends and me against time. (Wow, that sounds really deep, doesn't it?) We practically flew past people, snack bars, and gift shops with over-priced items. Now that I think about it, we must have looked a lot like the family from those Home Alone movies.  
  
And guess what? We made it! We had a few minutes to get settled into the plane before it left the airport.  
  
Everybody hugged Mr. Weasley good-bye and boarded the plane. (We were flying on America West airlines, in case you're curious.) It was one of those huge planes with two seats on the left, and aisle, five seats in the middle, another aisle, and then two seats on the right. Our seats were in the very back of the plane because we'd been so late.  
  
Despite the fact that we had a very limited amount of time to get into our seats, we all began to argue over who got the three window seats. (We took up one whole row and three seats in the next one.) Fred, Elizabeth, and Harry all pointed out that their boarding passes assigned them to the window, and they took their seats happily.  
  
I was sitting right in the middle of the five seats with Hermione on one side and Brittany on the other.  
  
I bet you're wondering something. At one point in this story so far, you've probably thought, Doesn't having two Brittanys with two different spellings ever get confusing? Well, if you know us, no. We look completely different. I'm kind of tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. Brittany's kind of short with brown hair and brown eyes. If you don't know us, however, I suppose it could get confusing at some point, but not really. After all, our names are spelled differently, and our personalities are somewhat different. You haven't been getting confused, have you?  
  
Anyways…  
  
Every single one of the guys who was with us on this flight, plus Ginny, had never been on an airplane before. That included Harry, who, even though he was raised by Muggles, had never been on an airplane before due to reasons beyond his control. (Grrr.) Hermione had traveled by plane many times before and was just as bored as the rest of us.  
  
I guess there must be something super-fascinating about airplanes, though. The Weasleys and Harry actually paid attention to the flight attendant in front of the cabin. You know the one. They're the kind that stand in front of everyone and demonstrates what to do in an emergency, how to buckle your seatbelt, and all that stuff that everybody already knows. (Well, almost everybody.)  
  
It was a good thing that Mr. Weasley wasn't there. He would have been having a field day. Horrible airplane food, barf bags, those little yellow plastic cup things that you're supposed to use if there's "a decrease in cabin pressure"…it's a Muggle-fan's dream come true.  
  
When the flight attendant finally sat down and Ron got over the surprise of being able to use seat cushions as floatation devices, the plane finally started moving. It rolled along very slowly until it reached the run-way.  
  
The plane had barely begun to speed-up when Lori suddenly exclaimed, "Oh!"  
  
"'Oh' what?" I asked.  
  
"This is such a perfect opportunity for a picture!" said Lori excitedly.  
  
"What are you talking about?" I said incredulously. "We're in the middle of the run-way. We're about to take off!"  
  
"I know!" Lori giggled. She unbuckled her seat-belt and hopped out of her seat.  
  
"What are you doing?!" Denise exclaimed.  
  
"I'm taking a picture, what else?" answered Lori.  
  
The plane was going full-speed now. We'd be taking off any second. And here was Lori…taking a picture.  
  
"Lori, get back in your seat!" said Hermione. "We're about to lift off the ground and the seat-belt sign is still on. You're going to get us in trouble!"  
  
"I am not," said Lori.  
  
"Sit down!!!" we all exclaimed.  
  
"If you're so concerned about it, why don't you just let me take the picture really quick and then I'll sit down, okay?" She raised the camera to her eye. "Smile!"  
  
"Ma'am, what are you doing back there?!" someone exclaimed. Uh-oh. Lori had been seen.  
  
"I'll sit back down in a sec, don't worry!" Lori called back. "Hold still, everyone."  
  
The steward that had seen her came over. "Ma'am, you have to sit down or we'll have to stop the plane. Sit down."  
  
"Hold on! I've almost got it…" pleaded Lori. The plane was shaking so much that she couldn't steady the camera.  
  
The steward got red in the face and hurried to the front of the plane. We soon felt the entire plane slowing down, until it finally came to a halt.  
  
"Lori, you've stopped the plane!" said Fred.  
  
"Uh, sorry," said Lori, looking sheepish. Then, before anyone could do anything, she finally snapped the picture.  
  
To make a long story short, we eventually left London. The whole plane had to circle around and start over again, of course, but we made it. The last remark I heard before the plane took off was from Brittany.  
  
"Lori," she said between clenched teeth, "if anything like that happens again, I swear I'll break your camera."  
  
By the time we made it to New York City, it was 6:00 a.m. (I could be wrong. I don't know Time Zones.) We were all feeling very, very jet-lagged. We had a two-hour wait, however, so we had to find something to do.  
  
The first thing we did was find this really big window that looked out over the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center. We all saluted and paid our respects because of the terrorist attacks that happened on September 11 (sniff, sniff).  
  
Then we realized that we were starving. None of us had had anything to eat before we left for the airport, and the "breakfast" they had served us during the flight was not fit for human consumption. Therefore, we all stopped at this little café-coffee shop-type place and had a real New York breakfast. (Yummy!)  
  
It finally dawned on us that we would have to find a place to change our Wizard money into customary US dollars. We went and found a long line of Currency Exchange Stations with a bunch of tellers changing money. Harry started to walk into the line that was closest to us.  
  
"Wait Harry! Wrong line," said Lori.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked. "The sign says 'Currency Exchange Station.'"  
  
"We have to find the special station," said Elizabeth.  
  
"Huh?" said Harry, clearly confused. Everybody else who did not know what we meant looked the same way. (Including Hermione, of all people.)  
  
We American-born people dragged the Weasleys and Harry and Hermione over to a different station. When we got to the front of the line we all handed over most of the Wizard money we had with us. The teller was busy changing our Galleons into dollars when Harry asked, "Exactly what is so special about this line?"  
  
"See the little black cat pin the guy's wearing?" said Elizabeth, pointing.  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"That means he's a wizard," Elizabeth continued. "He's the only one who'll accept Wizard money as a legal form of currency."  
  
"Yeah, you'll have to watch for that while you're in America," I said.  
  
Click! A picture of the wizard teller. (He gave us the weirdest look.)  
  
After that we still had about an hour to kill. We walked around and looked at gift shops and stuff. Elizabeth and Ginny had us all stop at a local newsstand so that they could by magazines. Even though everybody had everybody else to talk to, they seemed to think that reading material was necessary.  
  
We lolled around for awhile until we heard our flight being announced over the loud-speaker. (Thankfully, we were not late this time. If we had somehow managed to almost miss the flight while we were strolling around in the airport, I would seriously consider ourselves cursed.)  
  
Our flight was much more interesting this time. Once again, we argued over who got the window seats (this time it was Ron, Carolyn, and Lori). Once again, we disturbed the flight attendants as well as our fellow passengers.  
  
Click! A picture of us in the second plane.  
  
We even got to watch a movie. Our other flight had showed a movie, too. However, it was this really, really old foreign flick in a totally different language, complete with subtitles. This flight showed Forrest Gump. All twelve of us sat in complete silence during the entire movie. (Gotta love it!)  
  
I almost had a spasm of excitement when our plane finally began to descend over Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. True, I'd never been to Arizona in my entire life, but I knew it'd still be fun. We were going to be staying at Lori's home (Brittany's mom was visiting her family in California) and we were supposed to meet up with some of Brittany and Lori's friends that they have not seen in, like, forever.  
  
I was practically skipping as I left the plane. The twelve of us had made it through two whole flights alive and in one piece. I decided to take that as a very, very good omen. We had finally left our really cramped airplane seats behind, and now there was plenty of space for us to move around comfortably. We could be as crazy and uncivilized as we wanted and we wouldn't have to worry about any stupid passengers complaining about us and stupid flight attendants yelling at us.  
  
Um, I'm not exactly sure how to end my first part in the retelling of this summer vacation, so I'll just pass it on to the next person…  
  
Okay Lori, your turn! ^_^ 


	5. Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
  
I'm really, really sorry that it's taking me so long to write and post Chapter 5. I really didn't like the way the story was going and had decided to stop working on it, but it seems that some of you really like it. Even though I wasn't working on it anymore I kept getting reviews, and so I kept reading them. I became so happy because so many people had liked it that you all convinced me to keep working on it.  
  
A warning: Things will be going by a little slower than normal because, due to popular demand, I've begun rewriting the prequel to this story. iSummer Vacation/i was actually meant to be a sequal, but my old computer crashed and I lost all my chapters to the original, so I decided to just go ahead and begin writing this. And since I write faster when I receive positive reviews, I've decided to make this certain fic somewhat interactive. I'm open to whatever ideas you might have. For example, people have been posting reviews and sending me e-mails suggesting that I put in some romance. Well, who would you like to see together? It doesn't really matter me, so don't be afraid to let me know!  
  
And oh, I've also done my share of reading other HP fanfics on this site, and I've noticed that most people feel the need to add a disclaimer. I always thought that was stupid, but just in case, here it is: iI am not J.K. Rowling (although I wish I was), and I do not own any of her HP characters, or Hogwarts, or Quidditch, etc., that are used in any part of this story./i There, I've said it.  
  
Soon this A/N will be replaced with Chapter 5. (I can't wait!!) 


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